WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas faces WBC and IBF champion Errol Spence Jr in the 147-pound title unification at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, April 16. The pair squares off in the headliner of a Premier Boxing Champions event live on pay-per-view on Showtime.
Just the 12th unification fight in the rich history of the welterweight division, Spence vs Ugas joins other classic unification matchups at the weight class, such as “Sugar” Ray Leonard vs Thomas Hearns I and Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao. Ugas earned this opportunity in his most recent outing, successfully defending his title against future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao in August 2021.
Tickets for Errol Spence Jr vs Yordenis Ugas are on sale, and can be purchased via TicketNetwork and Vivid Seats.
The date when the fight airs live on Kayo Sports in Australia is Sunday, April 17.
Ahead of his bout with “The Truth”, the Cuban champion showed off his skills at a media workout at the Salas Boxing Academy in Las Vegas. Check out below what Ugas and his trainer Ismael Salas had to say.
Yordenis Ugas: Fans can expect me to fight like a warrior. I’m going to take all of my hard work into the ring on April 16
“I’m very thankful for everyone who has supported me. I’m extremely ready for this fight and to give the fans a great show on April 16. This has been a fantastic training camp and I can’t wait.”
“I’m happy to be fighting in Spence’s backyard, because they have great fans down there in Texas. It just adds extra motivation.”
“We’ve had a great training camp here in Las Vegas with Ismael Salas. We always make sure that the hard work pays off. We’re going to be bringing our best into the ring.”
“I was out of the ring for a long time, but when I came back and gave Jamal James the first loss of his career, I knew that I would be coming for big things. Everything changed for me that night and it’s all led up to this.”
“The Pacquiao fight was a great night for me. After that fight my life changed in even more ways. But I’ve always kept myself humble. I showed everyone who the WBA champion was. I have my eye on continuing to make history.”
“Being an underdog means nothing to me. I was the underdog against Pacquiao and now again against Spence. I’ve always been the underdog and it doesn’t faze me.”
“It’s an honor to be in the ring with Errol Spence Jr. We’re fighting for three belts, but even more important is fighting for honor and respect.”
“Fans can expect me to fight like a warrior. I’m going to take all of my hard work into the ring on April 16.”
Ismael Salas: Yordenis Ugas is a master of the middle distance. He knows how to make you miss and make you pay
“I watched Errol Spence fight Shawn Porter and then I watched Errol Spence fight Danny Garcia, after Spence had his accident. It was not the same Errol Spence Jr. I do believe he lost something between the Porter and Garcia fights.”
“Training camp has been great. We’ve had a long camp and now we’re in the period where Ugas is starting to make the adjustments that he’ll need to be ready for what Spence brings.”
“I want to face the best Errol Spence Jr., because I want the fans to get a great show. This is one of the biggest fights of the year. If he’s in top condition, then Ugas is going to be ready to give him a hell of a fight.”
“Yordenis came to us with three losses and since then we’ve been beating undefeated guys and going step by step up to this point of facing top fighters. Manny Pacquiao was the biggest fight of his career and Ugas beat him clearly. That was the same Pacquiao who had beat Keith Thurman in his previous fight.”
“We need to absorb the punching power of Spence. Everyone knows he’s a front-footed fighter who throws bombs from start to finish. It’s no secret that we need to use Spence’s aggressiveness and make it work in our favor.”
“It’s been a process for Ugas to get back to this point. He had to regain his confidence when he first joined our gym. We had to make a transition from the Cuban style and make him more aggressive. Yordenis Ugas is a master of the middle distance. He knows how to make you miss and make you pay.”
In the co-main event Isaac Cruz faces off Yuriorkis Gamboa. Also on the PPV card Jose Valenzuela battles it out against Francisco Vargas and Cody Crowley takes on Josesito Lopez. Get Spence vs Ugas full fight card.
The post Yordenis Ugas: It’s an honor to be in the ring with Errol Spence Jr appeared first on FIGHTMAG.